Dua on the Day of Arafah
5 Things to Know About the Greatest Day
The Day of Arafah, the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, is the greatest day of the year, on which the pilgrims gather at the plain of Arafat in the central rite of the Hajj, and believers everywhere turn to Allah in supplication and fasting. On this day Allah draws near to His servants, frees more people from the Fire than on any other day, and answers the supplications of those who call upon Him. The dua on the Day of Arafah is the best of supplications, taught by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) for this magnificent day.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Lā ilāha illa-llāhu wahdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr.
“There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things.”
The Prophet (pbuh) declared that the best supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah, and that the best of what he and the prophets before him said was the declaration of the oneness and sovereignty of Allah. This shows that the greatest day of the year is honoured with the greatest of words, the affirmation that there is no god but Allah alone. This guide explains the dua on the Day of Arafah and five things to know about the greatest day.
Whether standing among the pilgrims at Arafat or fasting and supplicating at home, the believer fills the Day of Arafah with the remembrance and worship of Allah, repeating the best supplication with hope in the boundless mercy of this day. For the one not on Hajj, fasting the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of two years, while for the pilgrim it is the very heart of the Hajj, making it a day no believer wishes to let pass without turning to Allah. The wise believer prepares for it in advance, clearing the day of distractions so that it can be given fully to fasting, supplication and the remembrance of Allah.
The Best of Supplications
The Prophet (pbuh) taught that the best supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah, and the best of what he and the prophets before him said is the beautiful declaration quoted above: there is no god but Allah alone, with no partner; His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things. On the greatest day of the year, the Prophet (pbuh) directed the believers to the greatest of words, the pure affirmation of the oneness of Allah. This teaches a profound lesson about supplication, for the believer learns that the foundation of all dua is the right knowledge of Allah, and that proclaiming His oneness and majesty is itself the highest form of asking.
This declaration gathers the essence of faith. It affirms that Allah alone is worthy of worship, that He has no partner, that all dominion and all praise belong to Him, and that He has power over everything. To fill the Day of Arafah with this remembrance is to honour the day with the words most beloved to Allah. The dua on the Day of Arafah is therefore not a long list of requests, but the magnificent affirmation of the oneness and majesty of Allah, repeated with a present heart. The believer who fills the day with this declaration finds that requests flow naturally from it, for the one who truly knows that all dominion and power belong to Allah turns to Him alone with every hope and need.
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah
There is no god but Allah alone with no partner
The Day Allah Frees from the Fire
The Day of Arafah is a day of immense mercy, on which Allah frees more of His servants from the Fire than on any other day. The Prophet (pbuh) taught that Allah draws near on this day and boasts to the angels about the people standing at Arafat, asking what these servants seek, as they come to Him dishevelled and dusty from every distant place. This beautiful image shows the nearness and mercy of Allah on the greatest day of the year. That the Lord of all the worlds should boast to the angels about His servants, describing them with tenderness as they stand dusty and humble before Him, reveals the depth of His love for those who answer His call and gather to worship Him.
Because the mercy of Allah pours down so abundantly on this day, the believer fills it with supplication, repentance and the remembrance of Allah, hopeful to be among those freed from the Fire. The pilgrims stand in supplication from noon until sunset, while those not on Hajj fast and supplicate throughout the day. The dua on the Day of Arafah is offered in this spirit, seizing a day when Allah is near and His mercy is poured out upon those who call upon Him. No believer wishes to be heedless on a day like this, when the doors of mercy are flung open and the smallest sincere supplication may be the cause of forgiveness, and so the heart is kept turned to Allah from the morning until the setting of the sun.
يُعْتِقُ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عِبَادًا مِنَ النَّارِ
Yu‘tiqullahu fihi ‘ibadan minan-nar
Allah frees from the Fire on this great day
The Day the Religion Was Perfected
It was on the Day of Arafah, during the farewell pilgrimage of the Prophet (pbuh), that Allah revealed the verse declaring that He had perfected the religion for the believers, completed His favour upon them, and approved Islam as their religion. This verse, revealed on the greatest day of the year as the Prophet (pbuh) stood at Arafat, marks the completion of the message and the perfection of the faith, giving the Day of Arafah a unique place in the history of Islam. A man of the Jews once remarked to Umar that had such a verse been revealed to them, they would have taken its day as a festival, and Umar replied that he knew well the day and place it was revealed, the Day of Arafah, while the Prophet (pbuh) was standing at Arafat.
This honour deepens the significance of the day. The Day of Arafah is not only a day of mercy and supplication, but the day on which the religion of Allah was completed for all time. The believer who reflects on this stands in awe of the day, filling it with gratitude that Allah perfected the faith and chose Islam for the believers. The dua on the Day of Arafah is offered with this awareness, honouring a day of completion, mercy and nearness to Allah.
Five Things to Know About the Greatest Day
The Day of Arafah is the greatest day of the entire year. These five things help the believer honour this great day well.
- The best supplication is the dua of Arafah, the declaration that there is no god but Allah alone.
- Allah frees more servants from the Fire on this day than on any other day of the year.
- For the pilgrim, the standing at Arafat is the very heart of the Hajj.
- For those not on Hajj, fasting the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of two years.
- On this day Allah perfected the religion, revealing the verse of completion at Arafat.
لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ
Lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd
His is the dominion and His is the praise
Seizing the Day of Mercy
The dua on the Day of Arafah seizes the greatest day of the year with the best of supplications, the affirmation of the oneness and majesty of Allah. By repeating this declaration, knowing that Allah frees His servants from the Fire and draws near on this day, recognising the standing at Arafat as the heart of the Hajj, fasting for those not on pilgrimage, and reflecting that the religion was perfected on this day, the believer honours the day in the best way. To fill the Day of Arafah with supplication is to seize a day of mercy, nearness and completion, a day that will not return for another year and may not be granted again at all.
This supplication pairs naturally with the Talbiyah of the pilgrim and the dua during tawaf. Together they help the believer fill the days of Hajj with the remembrance and worship of Allah.
The best supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah, taught the Prophet (pbuh) of the greatest day of the year. Learn the duas of Hajj with us on YouTube, where the supplications are recited aloud, on Instagram for a reminder to seize the Day of Arafah, and on Threads where readers share how they spend this day of mercy.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Prophet (pbuh) taught that the best dua on the Day of Arafah is: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ala kulli shayin qadir, there is no god but Allah alone, His is the dominion and praise, and He has power over all things.
Because it is the greatest day of the year, on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than any other day, draws near to those at Arafat, and on which He perfected the religion. For the pilgrim it is the heart of the Hajj.
The Prophet (pbuh) taught that fasting the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year, for those who are not performing the Hajj. It is among the most rewarding fasts of the year.
The pilgrims gather on the plain of Arafat on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah and stand in supplication from noon until sunset. This standing is the central rite of the Hajj, without which the pilgrimage is not complete.
The verse in which Allah declared that He had perfected the religion, completed His favour, and approved Islam was revealed on the Day of Arafah during the farewell pilgrimage, as the Prophet (pbuh) stood at Arafat.
Yes, those not performing the Hajj are encouraged to fast the Day of Arafah and to fill it with supplication and the remembrance of Allah, seeking the immense mercy and forgiveness that Allah pours out on this greatest day.